Europe needs a large Social Sciences and Humanities -centered research programme to tackle its "Grand Societal Challenges" ! An Open Letter to the European Commissioner for Research and Innovation, Maire Geoghegan-Quinn.

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Europe needs a large Social Sciences and Humanities -centered research programme to tackle its "Grand Societal Challenges" !

An Open Letter to the European Commissioner for Research and Innovation,
Maire Geoghegan-Quinn.

A sustained and substantial European investment in cutting-edge Socio-economic Sciences and the Humanities (SSH) can unlock new knowledge and insights that are necessary for Europe

- to overcome inequality, exclusion and poverty and to adapt to demographic change (migration, ageing, gender relations etc.) ;

- to develop resilient institutions that can strengthen sustainable growth, innovation processes, and social and political participation ;

- to exploit cultural diversity as a source for creativity, adaptive capabilities and social innovation ;

- to advance our understanding of cognitive processes and create educational opportunities in inclusive and democratic societies ;

- to understand the complexity of value systems, worldviews and behavioural patterns, and address issues of openness or resistance to change and

- to move towards successful intercultural dialogue and global diplomacy.

If you agree with the need for SSH to produce policy-oriented research for Europe, and if you wish to see a strong SSH-programme under the new European Framework Programme Horizon 2020 (2014-2020) we invite you to read the Open Letter to the Commissioner and sign it !

The voice of SSH researchers must be heard in the design of the new framework programme. Join your name to the list of colleagues from across Europe and beyond !

Have a look atbackground information about the origin of this letter and comments on the European Commission’s plans for the new framework programme.

You can also invite others to sign !

"Understanding Europe in a global context - transitions towards innovative and inclusive societies" describes a policy-oriented, SSH-centered European research programme that harnesses societally relevant SSH research for "Horizon 2020".

This letter does therefore not address the need to further strengthen the European Research Council for basic research ; such an argument has been developed elsewhere.

CONTACT :

For further information write to SSH-letter@net4society.eu